Whose on Top

Darius Leonard tops the list again for me. When Clayton Geathersplays in the secondary the Colts do not need to be worried about missing tackles at the second level. Because of this the Colts are more aggressive in the way they use Darius Leonard. Leonard is a very good blitzer which he showed again this week grabbing his 5th sack of the season.

The one knock some people had on Leonard was his coverage skills. He may have put that to rest this week coming up with a pass defensed and interception this week. Granted it’s Blaine Gabbert but he spied the QB great here for his 1st career pick:

The Other Rookies

Rookie linebackers have made quite an impression this year in the NFL. Leonard being my top start this week is one, but I also have rookies in my #2, #5, and #9 spots of my top starts this week. Leighton Vander Esch is a monster every time he starts and for the second week in a row he showed the Cowboys why it’s his job now. Sean Lee should not remove him if he is able to return this season.

In the past two starts filling in for Lee, Vander Esch has produced 21 tackles (17 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions. He also get the Redskins this week who are now without Alex Smith. There should be a high run rate and intermediate pass game volume for the Skins with noodle arm McCoy starting. Put an offensive lineman in front of him and he will tackle the ball carrier through him:

Tremaine Edmunds has a good matchup against the Jags who are back to their run heavy ways with Leonard Fournette back. There is also the possibility with how poorly Bortles is playing that Edmunds can come up with a sack or interception in this one.

To round out the rookies we have Roquan Smith. Smith has really picked up his game as of late after a slower start to the season. He did miss most of camp with a holdout so that could be a big reason as to why. In his last 5 games he racked up 39 tackles (33 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and a pass defensed.

To go along with his good recent numbers he gets the Lions this week. They give up the 8th most points to linebackers so far this year. Matt Stafford felt the pressure of Smith Week 10:

Who Is That Guy?

Mason Foster is the best linebacker that nobody ever talks about. Year after year he plays solid football. Ever since his days with the Bucs he has performed well. He is a tackling machine and gets to face Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott twice a year.

Between those two getting 20 rushes per game it gives him a good chance to get chunks of tackles. Foster gets to face Elliott and the Cowboys this week in a plus matchup for Foster who has 47 combined tackles his last 5 games. He was even able to come up with an interception last week:

Watson was hit as he threw, causing ball to float more than he would have liked. Josh Harvey-Clemons shows off his athleticism and length, getting the tip on the ball that Mason Foster manages to intercept #Redskinspic.twitter.com/uQ7J5HaDwR

Whose on Top

Shawn Williams has been playing out of his mind recently. He has been scoring in all facets of IDP fantasy scoring. In his last 4 games he has amassed 42 tackles (30 solo), 4 passes defensed and 3 interceptions. Because of these performances he now is red hot and is the top fantasy scorer for the Bengals.

Williams gets the Browns Week 12 who have given up the 5th most points to safeties this season. He welcomed rookie Lamar Jackson to the league with this pick:

Is He a Corner or Safety?

Watch any Texans game and you see Kareem Jackson, Tyrann Mathieu, and Justin Reid lined up in multiple positions. All 3 have played safety and corner. Because of each player’s versatility all have been able to be productive fantasy players. Look at this amazing play by Jackson in coverage followed by Mathieu’s sack on a beautiful blitz:

Will have more tomorrow but have to show this one. Tyrann Mathieu sets this up so well. Makes it look like he is coming off the edge then hits that second gear folding under Clowney for the sack. The back has zero chance vs TM. #Texanspic.twitter.com/JbXDrblrHB

Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu most notably but Justin Reid is moving his way up the list. In Reid’s last 3 games he has 24 tackles (19 solo), 4 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and a 101 yard Touchdown. All three players are on the field at least 96% of the time and all 3 can be started.

To boot they might face Blaine Gabbert this week who threw an interception right into the chest of Darius Leonard. Not to be outdone by his safety running mates, Reid topped them all:

There’s Nobody Else

Jordan Whitehead makes this list because there is literally nobody else left on the team to make plays. Justin Evans was still seen in a walking boot Monday and is uncertain for Week 12. They play the 49ers this week who give up the 4th most points to safeties this season. The Bucs are also without starting interior linebackers Kwon Alexander and Lavante David.

Whose on Top

J.J. Watt will be near the top of this list almost any matchup. He is a nightmare to block and this week gets to pick on the Titans. Their offensive line has given up a sack 10.6% of the time. This week it may be Blaine Gabbert who is unfortunately inept in his own right. Watt should be able to blast threw this line with ease and cause a commotion in the backfield. Watch Watt close on Smith for his 10th sack:

Mack is Back

Khalil Mack is officially back. He played in two games injured and missed an additional two following. Since Mack’s return he has been unstoppable. Between these two games he has 7 tackles (6 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. In week 9 alone he had 5 tackles , 2 for a loss and 2 sacks. That was against the Detroit Lions…oh and he plays them again this week. Expect the sack streak to continue for Khalil Mack. Plain and simple, Mack is a beast:

You Can Bet on Demarcus

Demarcus Lawrence should be able to come out of this week with a sack and multiple tackles for a loss. Lawrence plays the run on the outside amazingly. He has accumulated an impressive 13 tackles for a loss in 10 games. The Week 12 opponent for Lawrence is the Redskins who will be without Alex Smith after his gruesome injury.

This leaves them with noodle arm Colt McCoy who Lawrence should have no problem getting too. Because of Smith’s absence it also means that the Skins should run Peterson like a dog. Expect Lawrence to meet him behind the line of scrimmage.

Those are my predictions for the top 10 performers at each position. Each week there seems to be some new faces on the list. Tune in next week to see who tops it for Week 13.

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